Fitness: Getting and Staying Active - Becoming More Active

Are you ready?

Before
you increase your activity, take a look
at where you are now. Ask yourself these questions:

What challenges get in my
way? You may have
barriers in your life that get in the way of
becoming more active. These barriers may be a lack of time, fear of getting hurt, or having
no one to exercise with.

Changing your thinking

If you need to make some lifestyle changes to become more
active, you'll have more success if you first change the way you think about
certain things:

Don't compare yourself to others. Healthy bodies come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. One person's
choice of activity won't be right for another person. Some people use fitness
to compete against others, while others use it to feel as good as possible.

Think positive. You can help
yourself succeed just by thinking that you can succeed. If you tell yourself
negative things—"I can't do this. Why bother?"—change will be harder. But if
you encourage yourself with thoughts like "I can do this," you can raise your
odds of success.

Changing your habits

Making any kind of change in the way you live your daily life
is like being on a path. The path leads to success. Here are steps you can use to change a habit by setting goals:

Have your own reason for making a
change. Know why it's important to you to meet your goals.

Set goals. Include both long-term and short-term goals.

Think about what might get in your way, and prepare for slip-ups.

Get support from your family, your
doctor, your friends—and from yourself.